K 


The  Advance  of  a 

Decade 


Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement 

1  Madison  Avenue,  New  York 


SUBMITTED  TO 


THE  NATIONAL  MISSIONARY  CONGRESS 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

BY 

WILLIAM  B.  MILLAR,  General  Secretary 


April  26,  igi6 

l 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A 

DECADE 


The  strongholds  of  righteousness  are  to-day  assailed  by  the 
forces  of  Mammon  massed  in  greater  strength  than  ever  be¬ 
fore.  Human  genius  in  the  material  realm  has  reached  an 
apparent  climax  of  achievement;  will  there  be  released  ade¬ 
quate  spiritual  forces  to  meet  the  need  of  this  crucial  hour  ? 

The  sad  spectacle  of  the  visible  struggle  in  Europe  has  not 
dulled  the  eye  of  discerning  men  to  the  greater  unseen  con¬ 
flict  now  being  waged.  From  a  chastened  world  rises  the  cry, 
“Can  the  forts  hold?  Can  the  struggle  be  carried  even  into 
the  enemies’  country?  When  will  the  day  of  victory  come?” 
Heartening  answer  is  found  in  many  of  the  manifestly  provi¬ 
dential  leadings  of  the  past  decade  that  have  wrought  mightily 
for  the  up-building  of  the  Kingdom. 

Hopeful  signs  that  the  forces  of  Christianity  are  recogniz¬ 
ing  their  increased  responsibility  are  not  lacking,  and  among 
these  is  the  missionary  awakening  of  the  laymen  of  the 
Church. 


I.  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 

“Man’s  extremity  has  ever  been  God’s  opportunity,”  and 
this  has  been  pre-eminently  true  in  the  beginning  and  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement.  A  decade  ago 
the  masculine  element  in  church  activity  was  little  empha¬ 
sized.  There  was  a  lack  of  up-to-date  business  methods  in 
church  and  missionary  finance.  The  evangelization  of  the 
world  in  a  single  generation  was  not  taken  seriously  by  a 
large  proportion  of  the  men  of  the  church.  Money  for  this 


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THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


world  enterprise  was  generally  secured  through  an  annual 
collection  taken  after  a  missionary  sermon  and  this  offering 
was,  subject  to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  bad  weather,  non-attend¬ 
ance  or  lack  of  compelling  power  in  the  presentation  of  the 
case. 

Certain  it  is  that  the  unbusinesslike  methods  obtaining  in 
the  church  were  fastened  upon  it  with  bands  difficult  to  break, 
and  as  a  result  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom  was  retarded. 
Giving  as  an  act  of  worship  had  to  a  degree  been  lost.  It 
had  become  spasmodic  rather  than  systematic.  In  many 
churches  the  frequent  appeals  for  money  from  the  pulpit  were 
not  only  losing  their  force  but  were  also  driving  men  from 
church  attendance.  Less  than  one-third  of  the  membership 
was  carrying  the  financial  burden  of  the  church  and  an  even 
smaller  percent  was  giving  to  the  missionary  and  benevolent 
causes.  If  any  proof  were  needed  that  the  church  is  a  divine 
institution  it  would  be  found  in  the  fact  that  progress  was 
made  in  spite  of  these  conditions  and  handicaps.  Any  merely 
human  institution  or  commercial  concern  employing  similar 
methods  would  have  become  bankrupt. 

Nevertheless  forces  were  at  work  which  presaged  the  dawn 
of  a  new  and  better  day.  The  facts  concerning  the  missionary 
enterprise  were  becoming  better  understood.  The  young  life 
of  the  church  was  responding  in  larger  measure  to  the  call 
to  missionary  service  and  in  the  fulness  of  time  God  made 
clear  the  overpowering  need  for  increasing  numbers  of  con¬ 
secrated  laymen  to  dedicate  their  lives  to  the  carrying  out 
of  his  plans  for  the  world. 


The  Birth  of  the  Movement 

The  above  was  in  brief  the  situation  that  faced  the  laymen 
who  gathered  in  the  historic  meeting  for  prayer  in  New  York 
City  on  the  anniversary  of  that  other  prayer  meeting  held 
under  the  shelter  of  the  haystack  at  Williamstown  by  five 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


5 


students  a  century  before,  which  had  in  the  providence  of 
God  led  to  the  development  of  the  American  foreign  mis¬ 
sionary  enterprise.  On  that  day,  November  15,  1906,  after 
prayer  and  conference  a  series  of  resolutions  was  adopted 
and  a  committee  of  representative  laymen  appointed,  “To 
consult  with  the  secretaries  of  the  various  missionary  boards 
with  reference  first,  to  the  conduct  of  a  campaign  of  educa¬ 
tion  among  laymen  to  interest  them  more  largely  in  missions ; 
second,  to  the  devising  of  a  comprehensive  plan  for  the  evan¬ 
gelizing  of  the  world  in  this  generation ;  third,  to  endeavor  to 
send  a  commission  of  fifty  or  more  laymen  to  the  mission  fields 
to  report  their  findings  to  the  church  at  home.” 

These  proposals  were  presented  to  the  annual  conference 
of  Missionary  Boards  in  January,  1907.  The  Movement  was 
heartily  and  unanimously  endorsed  by  this  conference,  com¬ 
posed  of  representatives  of  all  Protestant  churches  in  North 
America.  In  the  formal  resolution  of  the  conference  these 
paragraphs  occur : 

“We  recognize  this  Movement  as  providential,  having  been 
born  of  prayer  and  of  the  Spirit.  In  its  spontaneity  and 
timeliness  it  gives  evidence  of  the  hand  of  God  and  we  are 
profoundly  convinced  that  this  is  but  another  step  in  advance 
toward  the  completion  of  his  great  purpose  in  the  redemption 
of  mankind.  ...  We  recognize  the  imperative  necessity  for 
this  new  Movement  in  view  of  the  tremendous  demands  of 
a  world  field,  white  for  the  harvest,  which  requires  that 
the  churches  of  Christendom  should  lay  plans  and  put  forth 
effort  adapted  to  meet  the  new  demands  that  are  upon  us.” 


Early  Activities 

During  the  summer  of  1907  at  the  invitation  of  leaders 
of  missionary  work  in  Great  Britain  a  commission  of  six  lay¬ 
men  from  the  United  States  and  Canada  visited  London,  Edin¬ 
burgh,  Liverpool  and  other  cities  in  England  and  Scotland, 


6 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


presenting  the  methods  and  plans  of  the  Laymen’s  Missionary 
Movement.  Committees  were  appointed  both  in  England  and 
Scotland  to  extend  the  work.  Several  of  these  committees 
secured  secretaries  to  devote  their  whole  time  to  the  Move¬ 
ment. 

In  1907  sixty-six  laymen  were  commissioned  and  they  vis¬ 
ited  various  mission  fields  at  their  own  expense  to  investigate 
religious  conditions,  needs  and  results.  After  their  return 
many  of  them  engaged  actively  in  giving  their  testimony  to 
the  church  and  have  been  most  successful  in  stimulating 
greatly  increased  interest  in  missionary  work. 


The  Movement  in  Canada 

During  the  season  of  1908-09  a  National  Missionary  Cam¬ 
paign  was  conducted  by  the  Laymen ’s  Missionary  Movement  in 
Canada,  conventions  being  held  in  twenty-four  of  the  leading 
cities  of  the  Dominion  from  Sydney  to  Victoria.  At  the  end 
of  this  campaign  there  was  held  in  Toronto  a  Canadian  Mis¬ 
sionary  Congress  attended  by  over  four  thousand  commis¬ 
sioners  representing  all  Protestant  churches.  This  congress 
adopted  a  national  missionary  policy,  the  first  of  its  kind  ever 
adopted  by  the  representatives  of  all  the  churches  of  a  nation. 
This  policy  was  later  ratified  by  all  the  church  courts  of  the 
various  communions  in  Canada. 

A  Canadian  Council  was  formed  to  supervise  the  work  in 
that  country,  with  N.  W.  Rowell,  K.  C.,  as  chairman.  Mr. 
Rowell  continued  in  this  position  until  his  increasing  re¬ 
sponsibility  as  leader  of  the  Liberal  party  in  Ontario  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  resign  the  chairmanship,  although  he 
has  remained  an  active  member  of  the  Council.  The  present 
chairman  is  John  A.  Paterson,  K.  C.  In  1909  Mr.  Herbert 
K.  Caskey  became  the  general  secretary  in  Canada  and  since 
then  has  rendered  most  efficient  service  in  extending  the  work 
throughout  the  Dominion. 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


7 


One  of  the  outstanding  results  of  the  movement  is  the  in¬ 
crease  in  missionary  gifts  in  the  city  of  Toronto.  In  1907 
these  ■were  $211,217.  In  the  National  Campaign  the  goal  was 
fixed  at  $500,000  and  year  by  year  the  offerings  have  steadily 
increased  until  a  year  ago  they  reached  a  total  of  $542,000, 
and  the  churches  have  now  placed  the  goal  at  $750,000. 

The  report  of  last  year  showed  that  the  missionary  gifts  in 
the  Dominion  had  risen  from  $1,492,660  in  1908-09  to  $2,- 
953,588  in  1913-14,  a  gain  of  nearly  100%  in  five  years. 

Since  the  outbreak  of  the  European  war  Canada  has  raised 
millions  of  dollars  for  the  Canadian  and  British  Red  Cross 
and  for  relief  of  soldiers’  families.  One  of  the  men  most 
prominently  connected  with  this  work  said  that  the  ease  and 
enthusiasm  with  which  it  was  handled  was  largely  due  to  the 
training  and  education  brought  about  by  the  Laymen’s  Mis¬ 
sionary  Movement.  There  was  one  small  city  in  which  the 
Movement  had  been  unable  to  hold  any  meetings  because  of 
the  indifference  of  both  the  laymen  and  clergy,  and  for  prac¬ 
tically  a  full  year  that  city  did  absolutely  nothing  for  the 
Red  Cross  work.  They  have  recently  opened  their  doors  to 
both  the  Laymen’s  Movement  and  the  Red  Cross. 

The  men  of  Canada,  while  passing  through  a  testing  time, 
have  labored  with  great  faith  and  courage.  The  work  of  the 
Movement,  however,  has  been  temporarily  interfered  with. 
Mr.  Caskey’s  resignation  as  secretary  was  accepted  the  first 
of  January  but  it  is  confidently  expected  that  when  the  war 
ceases,  if  not  before,  work  will  be  pushed  even  more  aggres¬ 
sively  than  in  the  past. 


In  Other  Countries 

The  work  has  not  been  confined  to  Canada  and  the  United 
States  but  has  been  carried  forward  in  other  countries  as 
well.  National  or  local  efforts  have  been  organized  in  Eng¬ 
land,  Scotland,  Australia,  Ceylon,  Germany,  Holland,  Swe- 


8 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


den,  Denmark,  South  Africa  and  New  Zealand.  Without 
question  the  war  has  limited  the  work  in  these  countries  and 
the  North  American  Movement  should  be  prepared  to  render 
every  service  possible  at  the  opportune  time. 


National  Campaign  of  1909-10 

The  first  National  Missionary  Campaign  in  the  United 
States  was  conducted  during  the  season  of  1909-10.  The 
seventy  conventions  held  were  attended  by  an  aggregate  of 
71,408  registered  delegates  and  the  campaign  closed  with  a 
National  Missionary  Congress  at  Chicago  May  3-6,  1910. 
At  this  gathering  a  national  missionary  policy  was  adopted 
which  called  for  a  large  increase  in  the  force  of  workers 
and  a  corresponding  increase  in  missionary  contributions, 
and  registered  the  conviction  that  “according  to  their  ability 
and  opportunities  the  laymen  of  the  churches  are  equally 
responsible  with  the  ministers  to  pray  and  to  plan,  to  give 
and  to  work  for  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
earth. ’  ’ 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  Movement  it  was  clearly 
understood  that  the  plan  was  not  to  send  out  missionaries  or 
to  administer  missionary  funds  but  to  co-operate  in  the  en¬ 
largement  of  the  work  carried  on  by  the  various  churches 
through  their  own  missionary  organizations.  Loyalty  to  the 
church  and  to  its  regularly  appointed  leaders  has  always 
characterized  the  work. 


A  Call  to  Increased  Service 

On  April  20,  1910,  upon  the  call  of  the  Committee  of  Refer¬ 
ence  and  Counsel  of  the  Foreign  Missions  Conference  a  large 
group  of  missionary  leaders  was  called  together  to  discuss 
what  advance  steps  should  be  taken  in  the  awakening  of 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


9 


men.  A  series  of  resolutions  was  unanimously  adopted  from 
which  the  following  is  quoted : — 

“It  is  the  sense  of  this  body : 

“That  the  signal  success  of  the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Move¬ 
ment  in  arousing  interest  and  enthusiasm  among  men,  espe¬ 
cially  in  the  great  campaign  just  closing,  demands  that  the 
Movement  shall  continue  its  work  with  increasing  vigor. 

‘  ‘  That  the  spirit  of  unity  and  co-operation  displayed  in  the 
recent  campaign  is  recognized  as  one  of  its  most  beneficial 
results. 

“That  while  each  denomination  will  necessarily  emphasize 
its  own  work,  any  tendency  to  do  so  in  campaigns  which  are 
likely  to  cause  any  disintegration  of  the  general  Movement  be 
deprecated. 

“That  in  planning  for  the  immediate  future,  the  unit  of 
time  provided  for  be  three  years  instead  of  one,  as  in  the 
recent  campaign.” 

With  such  encouragement  the  Movement  proceeded  to  pro¬ 
ject  plans  for  enlarged  work. 

During  the  years  following  the  national  campaign  a  more 
intensive  program  was  adopted  in  the  effort  to  extend  to  the 
Church  the  knowledge  of  the  plans  and  methods  which  were 
being  recommended. 

A  large  number  of  conferences  and  conventions  and  other 
meetings  were  held  in  which  these  plans  were  discussed  and 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  individual  churches,  thus  helping 
to  conserve  the  results  of  the  national  campaign  which  had 
aroused  such  a  deep  interest  on  the  part  of  laymen  through¬ 
out  the  country. 


The  United  Missionary  Campaign 

The  growing  spirit  of  unity  was  strikingly  evidenced  by 
a  conference  of  representatives  of  the  Foreign  Missions  Con- 


10 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


ference  of  North  America  and  the  Home  Missions  Council  of 
the  United  States  held  in  March,  1913,  to  consider  a  united 
effort  for  the  furtherance  of  their  work.  After  a  day  spent  in 
conference  and  prayer,  it  was  unanimously  decided  to  conduct 
a  United  Missionary  Campaign.  A  Central  and  an  Executive 
Committee  were  appointed  and  plans  completed. 

The  Layman’s  Missionary  Movement  was  requested  to  take 
charge  of  the  organization  and  direction  of  the  interdenomi¬ 
national  convention  and  conference  features  of  this  united 
effort  which  continued  for  the  two  seasons  of  1913-14  and 
1914-15,  during  which  time  695  conferences  were  conducted. 

The  bigness  of  the  whole  missionary  task  as  contrasted 
with  the  work  being  undertaken  by  any  one  denomination 
was  steadily  kept  in  mind  and  the  value  of  co-operative  ac¬ 
tivity  became  increasingly  evident  as  the  work  progressed. 
The  campaign  emphasized  the  essential  unity  of  the  mission¬ 
ary  spirit  and  task  and  proved  the  ability  of  missionary 
organizations  to  work  together  in  complete  harmony. 

The  Second  National  Campaign 

Beginning  in  October,  1915,  a  second  National  Missionary 
Campaign  has  been  conducted  with  conventions  held  in  sixty- 
nine  cities  throughout  the  nation.  This  campaign  was 
planned  before  the  outbreak  of  the  European  war.  After 
war  was  declared  there  was  serious  consideration  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  campaign  should  be  postponed.  Some 
thought  it  would  prove  untimely  and  that  in  such  an  hour 
the  attention  of  men  could  not  be  secured  for  a  missionary 
gathering.  But  there  were  those  who  felt  that  there  was 
need  in  this  country  at  this  time  for  ‘‘a  moral  equivalent  for 
war  ’  ’ ;  that  strong  men  would  be  ready  to  listen  to  and  heed 
a  summons  to  advance  and  that  it  was  the  time  of  times  to 
consider  the  enlarged  responsibilities  and  opportunities  that 
would  naturally  come  to  the  Church  in  America  because  of 
the  war. 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


11 


The  Executive  Committee  after  much  prayer  decided  to  go 
forward  with  the  plans.  Their  faith  and  courage  have  been 
more  than  justified  by  the  extraordinary  success  of  the  cam¬ 
paign. 

In  the  first  convention  of  this  series  in  Chicago  the  paid 
registration  reached  the  astonishing  total  of  4,556.  All  rec¬ 
ords  were  broken  in  this  single  feature  and  few  thought  it 
would  be  surpassed.  But  Los  Angeles  with  a  determination 
not  to  be  denied  set  a  new  mark  at  5,990.  This  is  the  largest 
paid  registration  in  a  men ’s  convention  of  any  kind  ever  held. 
The  simple  fact  that  such  large  numbers  of  men  were  willing 
to  register  and  be  counted  among  the  missionary  forces  of 
a  community  is  a  source  of  strength  to  the  churches  of  any 
city.  Ten  years  ago  such  a  demonstration  would  have  been 
impossible  and  indeed  unthought  of. 

The  large  registration  has  not  been  confined  to  a  few  of 
the  cities.  In  the  first  national  campaign  it  was  thought 
that  the  high-tide  of  registration,  attendance  and  interest 
had  been  reached.  The  plan  was  new  and  thus  possessed  the 
drawing  power  of  novelty.  The  dinner  feature  also  created 
interest  and  increased  the  number  of  delegates.  The  fact  that 
the  registrations  were  larger  this  year  without  the  attractive 
power  of  novelty  or  the  great  dinner  is  convincing  evidence 
of  the  deepening  interest  in  missions  among  the  men  of  the 
churches. 

In  the  49  cities  where  conventions  were  held  in  both  cam¬ 
paigns  the  paid  registration  this  season  has  been  73,154  as 
compared  with  51,074  six  years  ago,  a  gain  of  43.2  per  cent. 
The  total  paid  registration  in  the  seventy  city  conventions  of 
1909-10  was  71,408,  and  in  the  sixty-nine  conventions  of  the 
present  season  101,927,  a  gain  of  42.7  per  cent.  . 

The  attendance  and  the  interest  in  nearly  every  one  of  the 
conventions  this  year  have  been  unusual.  Seriousness  of 
thought  has  been  a  characteristic  feature.  The  delegates  have 
seemed  to  realize  the  tremendous  importance  of  the  situation 
and  the  burning  needs  of  the  world  to-day.  World  problems 


12 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


have  been  frankly  discussed  and  the  solution  sought  in  a 
prayerful  spirit.  Those  attending  have  felt  that  a  new  call 
to  world  service  had  been  sounded  and  that  the  conditions 
demand  a  hearty  response  on  the  part  of  every  Christian  lay¬ 
man.  As  the  appeal  has  been  urged  for  a  larger  devotion 
of  life  and  application  of  effort  to  the  solving  of  the  many 
problems  connected  with  the  missionary  enterprise  at  home 
and  abroad,  there  have  come  a  depth  of  purpose  and  a  new 
surrender  of  life  to  the  call  of  God.  Unless  all  signs  fail  the 
results  of  the  campaign  will  go  far  beyond  the  most  sanguine 
expectations.  Already  these  results  are  materializing  and  are 
bringing  new  inspiration  to  the  workers. 


II.  ORGANIZATION  ANT)  PERSONNEL 

The  Movement  has  always  sought  to  keep  its  machinery 
as  simple  as  possible,  using  existing  agencies  as  far  as  this 
could  be  done,  thus  conserving  time  and  energy.  The  aim  is 
to  increase  not  the  mechanics  but  the  dynamics  of  the  church. 
To  secure  efficient  supervision  a  number  of  committees  exist. 

A  General  Committee  of  one  hundred  men  from  different 
parts  of  the  country,  meets  once  a  year  and  is  charged  with 
general  oversight  of  the  work. 

An  Executive  Committee  with  a  working  quorum  in  or  near 
New  York  City,  sustains  close  supervision  of  the  work,  orig¬ 
inates  plans,  and  directs  the  field  and  other  operations  of  the 
general  Movement.  The  meetings  of  this  committee  are  held 
monthly  and  are  always  occasions  of  inspiring  Christian  fel¬ 
lowship,  full  of  the  enthusiasm  that  shows  deepest  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Kingdom  on  the  part  of  every  member. 


Officers  of  the  Movement 

Dr.  Samuel  B.  Capen  of  Boston  was  the  first  chairman  of 
the  Movement ;  Mr.  Mornay  Williams  and  Lt.-Col.  E.  W.  Hal- 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


13 


ford,  vice-chairmen;  Mr.  E.  E.  Olcott,  treasurer,  and  Mr. 
J.  Campbell  White,  general  secretary. 

Dr.  Capen  was  chairman  from  the  beginning  of  the  Move¬ 
ment  until  his  death  in  January,  1914.  He  was  pre-eminently 
equipped  for  this  task,  requiring  a  peculiar  endowment  of  wis¬ 
dom,  tactfulness  and  consecration,  and  he  gave  of  these  largely 
and  unsparingly.  Dr.  Capen ’s  rare  and  gracious  personality 
and  his  rich  and  varied  experience  were  revealed  in  counsel 
at  the  committee  meetings  and  on  the  public  platform  on 
countless  occasions.  He  was  never  too  busy  to  answer  gladly 
any  call  for  service,  counting  no  personal  sacrifice  too  great 
and  never  missing  a  meeting  of  the  committee  while  in  the 
country.  His  voice  is  not  stilled  to  his  associates  of  the 
Movement,  nor  to  the  Christian  men  of  North  America  and  of 
the  world. 

The  worthy  successor  of  Dr.  Capen  is  Mr.  James  M.  Speers 
of  New  York,  president  of  McCutcheon  &  Company.  Mr. 
Speers  is  actively  identified  with  many  lines  of  Christian 
activity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  one  of  the  vice-chairmen  of  the 
International  Committee  of  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tions,  and  treasurer  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement.  He 
has  brought  to  the  Laymen’s  Movement  commanding  qual¬ 
ities  of  spiritual  leadership  and  an  untiring  zeal  in  the  exten¬ 
sion  of  the  Kingdom. 

Mr.  Williams  continued  as  first  vice-chairman  from  the 
beginning  of  the  Movement  until  June,  1915,  rendering  dur¬ 
ing  all  those  years  most  faithful  and  earnest  service,  always 
ready  at  a  moment’s  notice  to  fulfill  any  task  no  matter  how 
much  of  personal  sacrifice  was  involved.  He  has  been  heard 
frequently  upon  the  public  platform  on  the  vital  topics  con¬ 
nected  with  the  work  of  laymen  in  the  church.  Upon  his 
resignation  Lt.-Col.  Halford  continued  as  the  one  vice-chair¬ 
man.  The  Movement  owes  him  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude  for 
his  devotion  to  the  cause  and  untiring  labors  in  behalf  of  the 
Movement, 


14 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


Mr.  E.  E.  Olcott,  president  of  the  Hudson  River  Day  Line, 
is  still  the  efficient  treasurer,  giving  much  time  and  thought 
to  the  work. 

Space  forbids  individual  mention  of  the  other  members  of 
the  Executive  Committee  who  are  rendering  a  service  as 
hearty  and  unselfish  as  the  officers.  Most  of  them  have  been 
members  of  the  committee  for  years,  some  of  them  since  the 
beginning  of  the  work.  Much  of  the  success  of  the  Movement 
is  to  be  found  in  the  careful  supervision  of  these  loyal  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  committee  who  have  given  most  careful  thought 
to  its  plans  and  work. 

Mr.  J.  Campbell  White  resigned  as  a  general  secretary  of 
the  Movement  in  the  summer  of  1915  to  become  president  of 
the  College  of  Wooster.  The  Executive  Committee  and  secre¬ 
tarial  staff  earnestly  urged  him  to  remain  in  the  position 
which  he  had  filled  with  such  conspicuous  ability  and  success 
but  the  call  to  Wooster  prevailed.  Mr.  White’s  great  mis¬ 
sionary  zeal,  his  prophetic  insight,  and  his  platform  gifts  com¬ 
bined  with  a  very  winsome  personality  won  for  him  the  af¬ 
fection  of  all  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  and  they 
unite  in  earnestly  wishing  him  highest  success  in  his  new 
work. 

The  present  secretarial  staff  at  the  interdenominational 
headquarters  consists  of  William  B.  Millar,  general  secretary ; 
Fred  B.  Fisher,  associate  general  secretary;  and  W.  E. 
Doughty,  educational  secretary. 

In  order  to  cover  the  whole  field,  the  country  has  been 
divided  with  headquarters  at  central  cities.  It  is  planned 
to  have  in  each  of  these  divisions  a  committee  with  a  field 
secretary  having  the  direction  and  closer  supervision  of  the 
work  in  a  prescribed  territory.  The  division  committees  are 
appointed  yearly  by  the  Executive  Committee.  The  annual 
budget  and  program  of  the  divisions  are  passed  upon  by 
the  Executive  Committee,  thus  giving  unity  and  uniformity 
to  the  entire  Movement. 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


15 


The  Division  and  State  secretaries  are  at  present  located  as 
follows : 

F.  J.  Michel,  Chicago,  Ill.;  D.  Clay  Lilly,  Nashville;  E.  L. 
McCreery,  Pittsburgh ;  C.  C.  Merrill,  Boston ;  H.  P.  Laflamme, 
New  York;  P.  B.  Bachelor,  Detroit;  P.  B.  Everitt,  Philadel¬ 
phia. 

There  is  immediate  demand  for  the  formation  of  committees 
and  the  placing  of  secretaries  in  the  divisions  not  yet  covered. 


Denominational  Movements 

At  the  present  time  the  following  denominations  have  or¬ 
ganized  denominational  movements  in  which  there  are  nine 
secretaries.  In  three  other  denominations  there  are  affiliated 
movements  which  have  co-operated  with  the  general  Movement 
in  convention  and  other  work. 

The  secretaries  of  the  denominational  movements  as  now 
organized  are : 

J.  T.  Henderson,  Southern  Baptist  Convention ;  W.  P.  Bare 
and  C.  H.  Weller,  Lutheran  Church,  General  Synod;  E.  C. 
Cronk,  Lutheran  Church,  United  Synod;  Clyde  P.  Armitage, 
Methodist  Episcopal;  E.  H.  Rawlings,  Methodist  Episcopal 
South ;  James  Morton,  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S. ;  J. 
G.  Dale,  Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian;  W.  E.  Lampe, 
Reformed  Church  in  the  U.  S. ;  W.  P.  Krauss,  Chairman, 
Evangelical  Synod 'of  North  America. 

Affiliated  Movements: 

David  McConaughy,  the  United  Movement  of  the  Presbyte¬ 
rian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.;  John  W.  Wood,  Forward  Move¬ 
ment  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.; 
W.  J.  Clarke,  Disciples  of  Christ. 


16 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


All  these  agencies  have  sought  to  secure  the  adoption  of  the 
better  plans  and  methods  in  their  local  churches.  Several 
denominational  conventions  have  been  held.  These  have  been 
largely  attended  and  have  had  a  marked  effect  upon  denom¬ 
inational  life  and  activity. 


/TIL  THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  MOVEMENT 


Emphasis  Upon  the  Spiritual 


From  the  beginning  the  message  of  the  Movement  has  been 
intensely  practical  and  vital.  Emphasis  is  first  of  all  upon 
the  spiritual.  Believing  that  prayer  is  the  mightiest  power 
God  has  permitted  humanity  to  wield,  that  this  power  rightly 
used  will  bring  certain  victory,  even  in  the  supreme  struggle 
of  to-day,  the  Movement  has  thrown  itself  with  zeal  into 
stimulating  the  prayer  life  throughout  the  whole  church.  It 
has  sought  to  convince  every  layman  that  however  untiring 
may  be  his  zeal  in  service,  however  lavish  his  generosity  in 
giving,  he  has  not  done  his  full  duty,  used  his  greatest  influ¬ 
ence  nor  discovered  his  noblest  privilege,  until  he  has  made 
definite,  prevailing  prayer  the  habit  of  his  life. 

When,  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  has  spiritual  prepared¬ 
ness  been  so  greatly  needed?  At  no  time  have  the  subtle, 
undermining  influences  of  selfishness,  indifference  and  world¬ 
liness  so  insidiously  wrought  their  deadly  work.  To  supply 
the  great  lack  of  deep  spiritual  life  to-day  there  is  supreme 
need  of  the  realization  of  the  constant  presence  and  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  manifested  in  Christ-centered,  God- 
directed  prayer.  To  the  end  that  a  deep  conviction  of  this 
truth  may  possess  the  whole  church,  the  Movement  is  sum¬ 
moning  every  power  and  using  every  means. 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


17 


Emphasis  Upon  the  Sacrificial 

Again,  the  message  is  a  call  to  service,  a  summons  to  under¬ 
take  large  things  for  God.  The  layman  once  content  to  let 
his  service  in  the  church  consist  of  attending  Sunday  morning 
worship  and  passing  the  collection  plate  is  being  supplanted. 
A  new  and  better  day  has  dawned. 

It  has  been  clearly  seen  by  both  ministers  and  laymen  who 
have  studied  the  situation  that  if  a  church  is  to  succeed  the 
men  must  be  led  to  undertake  tasks  commensurate  with  their 
ability.  Men  love  large  enterprises.  Big  tasks  appeal  to  them. 
As  men  have  come  to  realize  that  the  great  central  task  of 
the  church  is  the  winning  of  the  world  to  Christ,  a  task  big 
enough  to  challenge  the  time  and  strength  of  the  strongest 
men,  they  have  been  ready  to  enlist  and  to  take  their  share 
in  this  great  work.  The  awful  need  of  the  world,  physical,  in¬ 
tellectual  and  spiritual,  has  made  its  tremendous  appeal  to 
men  and  as  they  have  thought  of  the  needs  in  the  remoter 
parts  of  the  earth  they  have  not  become  unmindful  of  the 
opportunities  for  service  near  at  hand.  As  a  result  they 
have  undertaken  lines  of  personal  service  which  a  few  years 
ago  they  would  have  thought  impossible. 

The  new  financial  plan  has  given  to  the  men  of  the  church 
opportunity  for  commanding  service.  The  adaptation  of  the 
plan  to  the  visitation  of  the  membership  for  fellowship  pur¬ 
poses,  to  surveys  of  community  life  and  activities,  to  social 
service,  to  evangelism  and  to  other  lines  of  work  has  given 
a  larger  place  of  service  to  men. 

Emphasis  Upon  Missionary  Education 

It  was  discovered  that  the  ordinary  layman  was  woefully 
ignorant  of  the  facts  as  to  the  progress  of  the  Church  in  the 
task  of  world  evangelization.  Dr.  A.  T.  Pierson  never  said 
a  truer  word  than  when  he  declared:  “Pacts  are  the  fuel 
with  which  missionary  fervor  is  fired  and  fed.’^ 


18 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


Few  mature  laymen  had  responded  to  the  appeal  to  join 
mission  study  classes  and  men  gave  but  little  time  to  the 
reading  of  missionary  periodicals.  Few  missionary  books 
had  been  written  especially  for  men,  and  none  that  were  de¬ 
signed  for  men’s  groups. 

Several  four-chapter  books  for  men’s  discussion  groups 
have  been  published.  It  was  found  that  while  it  was  diffi¬ 
cult  to  secure  men  in  large  numbers  for  the  ordinary  study 
class  they  would  come  together  to  discuss  vital  topics  con¬ 
nected  with  the  missionary  situation.  The  men’s  discussion 
group  idea  has  been  tried  sufficiently  to  prove  that  it  is  a 
feasible  plan.  No  topic  to-day  is  of  keener  interest  to  men 
than  the  relation  of  Christianity  to  present  world  conditions. 
In  all  parts  of  the  country  men  have  been  drawn  together  in 
these  groups  at  the  luncheon  hour  or  for  supper  or  in  the 
evening  to  discuss  missions.  There  is  demand  for  a  more 
vigorous  promotion  of  this  plan. 

Under  the  impetus  of  the  Movement  much  interesting  and 
instructive  missionary  literature  has  been  prepared  and  pub¬ 
lished  during  the  decade.  Large  numbers  of  pamphlets, 
denominational  and  interdenominational,  have  been  issued, 
giving  facts  concerning  the  missionary  enterprise  and  methods 
of  church  work.  Fully  five  million  pieces  of  literature  have 
been  printed  and  distributed  by  the  Movement  since  its  incep¬ 
tion,  thus  opening  up  a  new  era  in  missionary  education 
among  men. 

In  1909  the  magazine  Men  and  Missions  was  started.  This 
has  been  the  ‘Hrade  journal”  of  the  Movement  since  that 
time,  and  constant  effort  has  been  made  to  present  the  up-to- 
date  and  tried  methods  of  church  work.  The  magazine  has 
a  unique  position  and  meets  a  recognized  need. 

The  Movement  endeavors  in  every  way  possible  to  secure 
a  wider  reading  of  the  denominational  and  interdenomina¬ 
tional  missionary  magazines  in  order  that  laymen  may  be  kept 
in  close  touch  with  the  developments  of  church  life  both  at 
home  and  abroad.  One  of  the  hopeful  signs  of  the  day  is 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


19 


the  improvement  that  has  taken  place  in  publications  of  this 
character  and  the  correspondingly  deeper  interest  in  them 
which  men  are  taking. 

In  addition  to  continuous  missionary  education  through¬ 
out  the  year  the  Movement  is  recommending  at  least  a  month ’s 
special  intensive  educational  program  immediately  preceding 
the  organized  canvass.  This  includes  sermons  upon  special 
subjects,  missionary  topics  for  the  prayer  meeting,  special 
missionary  instruction  in  the  Sunday-school  and  young  peo¬ 
ple’s  meetings,  together  with  the  men’s  discussion  groups  and 
programs  in  the  women’s  missionary  gatherings.  A  thorough¬ 
going  plan  for  missionary  education  is  absolutely  essential  to 
the  development  and  maintenance  of  a  deep  missionary  inter¬ 
est  and  life. 

Conferences  and  conventions  are  the  chief  means  which 
the  Movement  has  employed  for  inspiring  and  informing 
men.  There  are  two  types  of  these  gatherings — one  is  the 
two-day  conference  especially  for  the  officers  and  leaders  of 
the  local  churches  in  a  community,  where  most  of  the  time  is 
given  to  the  discussion  of  practical  topics  in  connection  with 
the  efficiency  of  the  local  church  in  its  work  at  home  and 
abroad ;  the  other  is  the  larger  convention  covering  three 
or  four  days.  To  these  gatherings  special  effort  is  made 
to  bring  a  more  general  delegation  from  the  churches  both 
in  the  convention  city  and  the  surrounding  territory.  Prac¬ 
tical  methods  are  discussed  and  the  great  themes  covering 
the  world  need  and  the  responsibility  and  opportunity  of 
the  church  at  home  are  presented.  The  two  national  mis¬ 
sionary  campaigns  have  been  of  this  type. 

A  great  nation-wide  series  of  conventions  such  as  these  com¬ 
pels  the  Church  to  take  account  of  stock.  In  most  of  the 
convention  cities  it  has  been  found  that  without  an  effort  of 
this  kind  the  churches  are  apt  to  neglect  such  a  checking  up, 
without  which  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  know  the  actual 
conditions  and  thus  they  are  apt  to  fail  in  the  laying  of  plans 


20 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


to  strengthen  points  of  weakness  and  to  avoid  failure  in  any 
line.  In  each  of  the  national  campaigns  new  and  higher 
standards  have  been  set  up,  and  it  is  necessary  for  the  highest 
efficiency  that  the  churches  should  discover  at  intervals 
whether  progress  is  being  made  towards  the  attainment  of 
these  standards. 

Again,  the  holding  of  conventions  is  necessitated  by  the 
fact  that  as  world  conditions  change  and  the  missionary 
enterprise  develops  it  is  vitally  important  that  the  laymen 
of  the  nation  be  brought  face  to  face  with  the  changed  situa¬ 
tion,  that  new  inspiration  may  be  obtained  from  the  reports 
of  progress,  that  faith  may  be  renewed  as  to  the  possibility 
of  making  Christ  known  throughout  the  world,  and  that  they 
may  face  with  renewed  courage  the  unfinished  task  of  world 
evangelization.  During  the  decade  the  Movement  has  held 
nearly  3000  of  these  conferences  and  conventions  with  an  at¬ 
tendance  of  approximately  one  million  men. 


Emphasis  Upon  Adequate  Financial  Methods 

Another  practical  phase  of  the  message  is  to  the  business 
instincts  of  men.  Mr.  John  H.  Converse,  of  Philadelphia, 
some  time  before  his  death,  made  this  statement:  “When 
Christian  business  men  give  the  same  energy  and  intelligence 
to  the  work  of  missions  that  they  now  give  to  their  own 
private  business  affairs  then  the  proposition  to  evangelize 
the  world  in  this  generation  will  be  no  longer  a  dream.” 

To  change  the  financial  methods  of  the  churches,  containing 
a  membership  of  over  twenty  millions  of  people,  is  no  slight 
task.  The  old  methods  already  referred  to  had  such  a  firm 
hold  that  at  first  it  seemed  almost  hopeless  to  think  of  sup¬ 
planting  them.  But  when  laymen  began  to  study  the  condi¬ 
tions  that  were  prevalent  and  realized  how  unbusinesslike 
churches  had  been  in  conducting  their  affairs  and  when  they 
saw  the  absurdity  of  trying  to  finance  a  great  world  enter- 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


21 


prise  by  means  of  the  methods  then  in  vogne  they  responded 
heartily  to  the  proposed  simple  yet  practicable  plan. 

This  new  plan  in  briefest  outline  is  as  follows:  A  live 
Missionary  Committee  in  every  church;  an  annual  organized 
every-member  canvass  preceded  by  at  least  a  month  of  in¬ 
tensive  educational  and  spiritual  preparation,  to  secure  from 
every  member  of  the  church  and  congregation  a  pledge  for 
a  weekly  offering  for  the  church  and  missionary  budgets,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  use  of  a  duplex  envelope  or  other  collecting 
device,  and  a  thorough  follow-up  system.  This  simple,  busi¬ 
ness  proposition  appeals  strongly  to  business  men  and  it  is 
with  gratitude  that  we  are  able  to  report  its  wide  adoption. 
In  some  of  the  denominations  over  one-third  of  the  churches 
have  put  the  plan  into  operation  and  it  is  being  promoted 
by  denominational  agencies  as  the  one  method  which  seems  to 
insure  success.  It  has  now  been  so  thoroughly  tried  that 
success  can  be  guaranteed  on  condition  that  the  plan  is  ac¬ 
cepted  in  its  entirety  and  carried  out  according  to  instruc¬ 
tions. 


IV.  SOME  RESULTS 


It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  in  this  report  no 
claim  is  made  that  all  the  advance  of  the  decade  is  due  to  the 
Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement.  It  has  borne,  however,  a 
notable  part  in  producing  these  inspiring  results.  In  an  ar¬ 
ticle  entitled  ‘‘Outstanding  Foreign  Missionary  Events  of 
1914”  Dr.  George  Heber  Jones,  in  speaking  of  the  Laymen’s 
Movement,  says,  “There  is  no  doubt  but  that  it  has  contrib¬ 
uted  probably  more  largely  than  any  other  single  factor  to  the 
missionary  revival  of  recent  years  in  our  own  land  and  in 
Canada, — a  revival  which  has  registered  its  results  both  in 
increased  general  missionary  interest  and  in  enlarged  financial 
prosperity  to  the  Boards.” 


22 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


A  Larger  Vision 

It  has  been  said  that  the  first  challenge  of  every  great  day 
is  to  the  vision  of  men;  and  it  is  a  source  of  encouragement 
that  the  vision  of  the  men  of  the  Church  has  been  constantly 
enlarging  during  these  passing  years.  With  the  enlarged  vi¬ 
sion  of  world-need  there  has  come  a  firmer  determination  to 
meet  those  needs  and  a  deeper  consecration  of  life  to  that 
purpose. 

Less  than  fifty  years  ago  it  was  the  popular  belief  that  it 
would  take  centuries  to  evangelize  the  world.  With  widened 
vision  men  are  declaring  to-day  in  ever-increasing  numbers 
that  if  the  Church  is  true  to  her  trust  it  will  be  possible  to 
make  Christ  known  to  even  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
in  the  life  of  a  single  generation.  This  does  not  mean  that 
men  are  underestimating  the  task,  for  they  have  come  to 
understand  more  clearly  than  ever  its  magnitude,  but  it  is 
the  clearer  vision  of  God  which  has  come  to  them  that  has 
made  the  larger  hope  possible. 


Dedication  of  Life 

Another  result  is  the  dedication  of  life  and  service  to  the 
great  task  of  the  Church.  Many  who  a  few  years  ago  were 
leading  lives  more  or  less  self-centered,  have  dedicated  their 
efforts  to  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom.  In  place  of  the  old 
standards  of  stewardship,  men  are,  in  increasing  numbers, 
coming  to  regard  themselves  as  stewards  to  whom  God  has 
committed  certain  talents  and  for  which  He  will  require  an 
accounting.  This  higher  standard  has  led  some  who  had 
planned  to  retire  from  business  in  order  to  spend  the  later 
years  of  their  lives  in  comfort  and  ease,  to  remain  in  business 
in  order  to  make  money,  not  for  themselves  but  for  the  exten¬ 
sion  of  Christian  work  throughout  the  world.  Others  who 
have  secured  a  competency  have  felt  called  to  give  up  business 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


23 


in  order  to  give  their  lives  more  directly  to  the  work  of  the 
church.  Some  of  these  men  have  become  connected  with  the 
great  Mission  Boards  and  are  giving  themselves  without  re¬ 
serve  to  the  work  to  which  they  have  consecrated  their  lives. 
Many  who  have  visited  the  mission  fields  have  returned  to  set 
on  fire  the  hearts  of  others  with  their  testimony.  In  other 
words,  men  in  increasing  numbers  are  responding  to  the  world 
appeal  in  terms  of  life.  When  every  Christian  man  realizes 
that  he  is  a  world  force,  the  ushering  in  of  the  Kingdom  will 
be  brought  immeasurably  nearer.  To-day  God  is  calling  many 
to  the  counting  house  as  well  as  the  pulpit  and  they  are  gladly 
responding  to  the  call.  What  new  dignity  and  meaning  this 
gives  to  human  life ! 


New  Missionary  Zeal 

With  this  enlarged  vision  and  out-pouring  of  life  there 
has  naturally  followed  a  new  missionary  zeal  in  our  churches. 
Men  are  coming  to  realize  that  they  are  saved  not  alone  for 
the  sake  of  being  saved  but  saved  to  serve,  that  the  life  of 
the  church  is  a  life  of  service  not  only  in  Jerusalem  but  in 
Judea  and  Samaria  and  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
as  well;  that  the  great  central  task  of  the  Church  is  mis¬ 
sionary.  No  longer  is  there  the  feeling  that  if  religion  is 
exported  there  will  be  a  shortage  for  home  consumption. 
The  old  fallacy  has  been  exploded  that  a  dollar  given  to 
mission  work  simply  means  a  dollar  less  for  home  expenses. 
Men  have  really  come  to  believe  the  Bible  when  it  says, 
‘  ‘  There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth,  and  there  is  that 
withholdeth  more  than  is  meet  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty.” 

Missionaries  returning  after  an  absence  of  years  have  been 
quick  to  note  this  change  and  to  comment  upon  it.  Leading 
missionary  secretaries  have  cited  it  as  a  proof  of  the  en¬ 
larging  vision  of  the  Church  and  all  of  these  have  testified 
that  their  message  receives  a  more  prayerful  hearing  and 
a  readier  response. 


24 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


One  of  the  most  frequent  testimonies  heard  from  those 
who  have  attended  conventions  of  the  Laymen’s  Movement 
is  of  a  new  conception  of  the  need  and  power  of  prayer  and 
the  deepening  of  their  spiritual  lives.  One  of  the  most  heart¬ 
ening  results  of  the  conventions  has  been  the  large  numbers 
of  men  who  have  been  led  by  the  spirit  of  God  to  a  reconsecra¬ 
tion  of  time  and  talent  to  Him.  Apathy  concerning  affairs  of 
the  Kingdom  has  given  place  to  deep  enthusiasm  in  the 
lives  of  thousands.  Frequently  one  hears  of  little  groups  of 
delegates  getting  away  by  themselves  for  prayer  and  for  a 
service  of  consecration.  When  such  a  step  is  taken  by  strong, 
mature  men  it  means  much  for  the  progress  of  the  Church. 
If  no  other  result  were  apparent  this  alone  would  justify 
the  time  and  effort  and  money  expended.  The  full  fruition 
of  the  work  can  come  only  in  future  years. 


More  Adequate  Financial  Resources 

Perhaps  the  one  thing  that  had  most  to  do  with  the  call¬ 
ing  of  the  Laymen’s  Movement  into  existence  was  the  lack 
of  sufficient  resources  to  finance  adequately  the  foreign  mis¬ 
sion  work  of  the  Church.  In  1905,  nineteen  centuries 
after  Christ  had  bidden  his  disciples  to  carry  his  Gospel  to 
all  the  nations,  the  Protestant  churches  of  the  two  great 
nations  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  were  giving  for 
the  carrying  of  the  Gospel  to  the  non- Christian  world,  a 
sadly  insignificant  sum  compared  with  the  tremendous  need 
and  opportunity.  To  meet  the  situation  strong  emphasis 
has  been  laid  upon  the  necessity  for  larger  giving,  and  the 
marked  results  of  this  emphasis  are  evident. 

The  Mission  Boards  are  appealing  for  larger  gifts  than 
ever  before.  A  few  years  ago  it  would  have  been  almost  un¬ 
thinkable  for  individuals  to  put  a  million  dollars  into  a  single 
gift  for  the  missionary  and  benevolent  work  of  the  Church. 
A  whole  denomination  would  scarcely  have  planned  to  raise 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


25 


five  millions  or  more  at  one  time  for  the  extension  of  its  mis¬ 
sionary  and  educational  work.  It  was  unheard-of  for  a  single 
individual  to  assume  the  expenses  of  large  portions  of  terri¬ 
tory  in  a  mission  field,  providing  the  missionaries  and  the 
equipment  for  evangelizing  those  fields,  But  all  this  has 
taken  place  in  the  last  few  years  of  this  decade. 

Under  the  plan  of  the  organized  canvass  large  increases 
have  been  made  in  the  number  of  givers  and  in  the  giving 
of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  church.  The  foreign  missionary 
gifts  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  as  reported  at  the  an¬ 
nual  conference  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Boards  last  Jan¬ 
uary  were  $18,793,990.  According  to  the  published  figures 
the  receipts  of  the  Boards  for  the  work  abroad  in  1905,  the 
year  before  the  Laymen’s  Movement  came  into  being,  was 
$8,120,725.  This  shows  an  average  increase  of  one  million 
dollars  for  each  year  for  foreign  missions  alone.  The  in¬ 
crease  during  the  last  decade  has  been  greater  than  in  the 
previous  nine  decades. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact  increases  for  home  causes 
and  local  church  expenses  from  all  denominations  as  the  fig¬ 
ures  have  not  been  collated ;  but  last  autumn  statistics  were 
secured  from  fourteen  of  the  leading  denominations  in  the 
United  States  showing  the  gain  made  in  the  decade  between 
1904  and  1914,  the  last  year  for  which  they  were  then  avail¬ 
able.  They  show  that  while  the  communicant  church  mem¬ 
bership  increased  during  that  time  25.3  per  cent  the  total  con¬ 
tributions  for  all  local  church  expenses  increased  39.7  per 
cent,  the  contributions  to  missionary  and  benevolent  work  in 
the  United  States  increased  62.8  per  cent  and  the  contribu¬ 
tions  to  Foreign  Missionary  work  increased  87.5  per  cent. 
The  statistics  give  ground  for  encouragement  and  hope,  and 
yet  one  is  startled  to  note  that  the  weekly  average  per  mem¬ 
ber  to  local  church  expenses  has  increased  during  that  time 
only  $.016  while  the  average  per  member  to  missionary  and 
benevolent  work  has  increased  only  about  $.01  per  week. 

It  is  difficult  to  evade  the  feeling  that  the  church  is  still 


26 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


playing  with  its  great  task  and  that  there  is  need  for  still 
greater  effort  to  awaken  adequate'  interest  among  the  laymen. 


The  Every  Member  Canvass 

The  financial  methods  recommended  and  promoted  by  the 
Movement  have  wrought  such  changes  that  no  report  would 
be  complete  without  some  statement  of  the  successes  achieved. 
A  few  typical  illustrations  will  indicate  the  possibilities  of 
success.  The  plan  has  transcended  the  mere  financial  phase. 
It  has  been  one  of  the  great  spiritual  forces  at  work  during 
the  past  few  years.  Men  who  have  been  enlisted  for  the 
financial  canvass  have  been  led  to  undertake  other  visitations, 
such  as  for  the  purpose  of  fellowship  and  evangelism.  Ac¬ 
tivities  of  this  kind  have  revolutionized  the  life  and  work  of 
many  churches. 

Striking  figures  come  from  cities  and  churches  where  the 
work  has  been  undertaken.  One  city  reported  3,000  men  en¬ 
gaged  in  a  simultaneous  Every  Member  Canvass.  In  a  large 
church  on  a  single  Sunday  afternoon  112  canvassers  added 
218  new  contributors  to  the  subscription  lists  and  secured  an 
increase  in  pledges  to  current  expenses  of  $6,323  and  to  mis¬ 
sions  and  other  benevolences  of  $4,962,  a  total  gain  of  $11,285. 
During  the  canvass  the  men  distributed  over  600  copies  of 
“The  Meaning  of  Prayer”  by  Fosdick,  to  the  families  of  the 
church. 

In  a  church  of  about  two  thousand  members,  scattered 
throughout  the  city,  where  the  physical  task  of  conducting 
an  Every  Member  Canvass  was  exceedingly  difficult  and 
where  failure  had  been  prophesied,  one  hundred  men  par¬ 
ticipated  in  the  first  canvass  for  benevolences  and  efficiently 
and  quickly  finished  the  work.  The  number  of  givers  to  the 
regular  benevolences  was  increased  about  33%  per  cent  and 
the  amount  secured  went  from  $7,958  to  $12,971,  an  increase 
of  63  per  cent.  Five  months  later  a  combined  current  ex- 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


27 


pense  and  benevolence  canvass  was  carried  through.  Contri¬ 
butions  to  the  benevolences  were  maintained  at  the  previous 
high  mark  and  those  for  current  expenses  increased  50  per 
cent.  It  had  been  thought  that  the  canvasses  would  interfere 
with  the  other  offerings  and  collections  but  at  Eastertime  the 
Sunday  School  missionary  offering  was  increased  from  $1,200 
to  $2,550,  and  the  plate  collections  for  church  and  charitable 
purposes  nearly  doubled.  A  little  later  this  canvass  was  fol¬ 
lowed  by  one  for  purely  social  and  spiritual  purposes  with 
marked  results  and  the  following  summer,  with  faith  strength¬ 
ened  by  the  former  achievements,  a  campaign  was  carried 
through  for  special  purposes  which  resulted  in  securing  a 
fund  of  $108,500,  although  before  the  Every  Member  Canvass 
it  was  thought  impossible  by  the  most  optimistic  to  secure 
more  than  $60,000.  During  the  eighteen  months  covered  by 
the  report  from  which  the  above  is  taken  God ’s  blessing  rested 
upon  the  church  in  a  marked  way,  as  was  witnessed  by  a  con¬ 
tinuous  revival  and  the  addition  of  750  to  the  membership, 
about  half  of  them  upon  confession  of  faith. 

A  report  covering  the  work  of  sixty-nine  churches  in  one 
section  of  a  state  shows  the  following  gains  as  the  result  of 
canvasses  in  a  single  year : 

Increase  in  number  of  contributors  to  church  support  5,160 


Increase  in  number  of  contributors  to  missions .  5,341 

Increase  in  missionary  offerings . $31,195 

Increase  in  local  church  offerings . . . $64,732 


The  following  interesting  facts  were  reported  with  regard 
to  the  churches  in  Buffalo,  showing  the  gain  in  one  year : 

4  Lutheran  churches  from  $990  to  $3,008 
22  Methodist  churches  from  $7,502  to  $17,023 
12  Episcopal  churches  from  $1,464  to  $3  075 
4  Presbyterian  churches  from  $11,332  to  $19,556 
20  Baptist  churches  from  $4,358  to  $6,430 


28 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


A  secretary,  in  a  recent  letter,  says,  “From  the  trend  re¬ 
garding  the  Every  Member  Canvass  in  this  territory  I  should 
say  that  it  is  proving  itself  one  of  the  strong  factors  in  ex¬ 
tending  the  great  spiritual  awakening  that  is  so  much  needed 
and  that  is  so  surely  coming  in  America.”  The  plan  has  been 
found  admirably  adapted  both  to  the  small  and  the  large 
church;  to  the  church  in  the  country  and  in  the  city  as  well. 

The  following  account  of  a  canvass  appeared  in  a  Boston 
daily  paper:  “The  pastor  had  determined  not  to  allow  any 
but  men  on  the  canvassing  committee  and  had  also  deter¬ 
mined  to  have  a  committee  of  sufficient  strength  and  size  to 
do  the  work  quickly  and  efficiently.”  After  describing  the 
training  of  the  canvassers  and  their  dedication  to  the  task  at 
the  Sunday  morning  services,  and  the  canvass  in  the  after¬ 
noon  of  the  entire  constituency,  the  article  proceeds,  “Not 
until  seven-thirty  did  the  last  canvasser  return,  but  his  report 
brought  the  total  amount  up  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
beyond  the  home  expense  budget.  The  missionary  budget  was 
also  exceeded.  The  number  of  people  pledging  was  increased 
170  per  cent.  After  the  teams  came  in  the  enthusiasm  still 
increased  until  at  the  end  the  conclusion  was  unanimous  not 
only  that  the  plan  was  a  good  one  but  also  that  there  must  be 
more  co-operation  among  the  same  body  of  men  for  the  up¬ 
building  of  the  church  along  other  lines.  Unless  all  signs 
fail  this  Every  Member  Canvass  will  mark  a  turning  point  in 
the  activities  of  the  men  of  this  church.” 

An  exhaustive  study  of  the  subject  is  not  possible  here.  So 
great  are  the  results  thus  far  attained  that  many  volumes 
could  be  filled  citing  the  experiences  of  churches  all  over  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  Enough  has  been  said  to  shov/ 
that  these  better  plans  will  work  in  any  church,  or  groups 
of  churches  or  whole  communions  where  there  is  a  group  of 
men  who  believe  in  the  plan  and  are  willing  to  give  them¬ 
selves  to  this  personal  effort  in  behalf  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  tides  of  spiritual  power 
rise  to  a  greater  height  when  there  comes  to  the  people  a 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


29 


clearer  vision  of  the  world’s  needs  and  a  realizing  sense  that 
it  is  the  business  of  the  church  to  supply  those  needs?  Em¬ 
phasis  should  of  course  be  placed  upon  the  fact  that  methods 
alone  are  not  sufficient  but  only  as  dependence  is  placed  upon 
the  spirit  of  God  is  success  assured. 

V.  THE  PURPOSE  OF  THE  MOVEMENT 

The  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement  is  an  independent 
voluntary  movement  of  the  men  of  the  churches  primarily 
for  the  following  objects: 

To  stimulate  initiative  and  activity  among  the  men 
of  the  Church. 

To  inspire  men  to  take  their  full  share  in  the  work 
of  the  Kingdom. 

To  promote  improved  methods  of  missionary  edu¬ 
cation  and  ffiaance. 

To  impress  upon  men  the  vital  importance  of  deep¬ 
ened  spiritual  life  and  Christian  activity  naturally 
following  upon  this. 

To  stress  right  standards  of  the  stewardship  of 
life  and  money. 

To  suggest  plans  for  the  speedy  completion  of 
the  missionary  task. 

Since  the  work  of  the  Movement  is  one  of  education  and  in¬ 
spiration  it  must  not  become  entangled  with  administrative 
details.  It  is  not  in  any  sense  a  collecting  agency.  Its  pri¬ 
mary  purpose  is  not  to  deal  with  the  local  church  to  secure 
the  adoption  of  any  particular  plan  or  device.  Usually 
there  are  other  agencies  which  cover  these  particular  func¬ 
tions. 


30 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


The  purposes  of  the  Movement  can  be  best  realized,  and 
with  greater  economy  of  time  and  of  money,  by  a  combined 
effort  on  the  part  of  all  the  denominations.  Earnest  thought 
and  prayer  should  be  given  to  the  working  out  of  a  plan  that 
will  thus  mass  all  the  forces  in  one  great  united  effort  to 
accomplish  the  task  in  hand  and  help  in  bringing  speedy  and 
full  response  to  the  Master’s  last  and  great  command. 

An  Unselfish  Effort 

The  Movement  which,  as  has  been  stated,  was  born  in  a 
prayer  meeting,  has  been  carried  on  during  the  decade  in  a 
spirit  of  prayer.  It  has  been  an  unselfish  effort  from  the 
beginning.  A  comparatively  small  group  of  men  have,  by 
their  gifts,  made  the  work  possible.  In  doing  this  they  have 
not  lessened  their  regular  missionary  contributions  but  have 
looked  upon  the  work  of  the  Movement  as  seed,  which,  in  its 
fruition,  would  lead  to  increased  gifts  to  the  great  work  of 
the  church.  The  Movement  pleads  not  for  itself.  It  has 
sought  to  build  up  no  machinery  for  its  own  sake,  but  has  ever 
striven  to  increase  the  work  of  the  missionary  agencies.  At 
the  hundreds  of  conventions  and  conferences  held  by  the 
Movement  no  appeal  has  been  heard  from  the  public  platform 
for  its  own  work  or  budget.  While  this  is  as  it  should  be,  it 
has  its  drawbacks  for  it  is  easy  for  men  to  lose  sight  of  the 
fact  that  the  work  of  the  Movement  needs  financial  aid  if  it  is 
to  go  forward  with  ever-increasing  power.  At  the  present 
moment  there  is  pressing  need  for  the  enlargement  of  the  field 
force.  In  this  campaign  it  has  been  noted  that  the  weak  spots 
were  at  the  places  where  close  supervision  had  been  lacking. 
There  is  also  need  for  men  for  special  work,  particularly  dur¬ 
ing  the  crucial  years  just  ahead. 

Provision  should  be  made  for  the  early  adequate  financing 
of  the  Movement  in  order  that  the  work  may  not  be  handi¬ 
capped  and  that  plans  may  be  made  for  such  enlargement 
as  may  be  necessary  to  render  the  service  that  is  demanded. 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


31 


In  one  of  his  last  public  utterances  Dr.  Capen  said :  ‘  ‘  ‘  To¬ 
gether’  is  the  last  great  word  of  the  twentieth  century.” 
“Together” — “together” — may  this  he  our  watchword  as  we 
go  forward  into  the  second  decade  of  work.  In  whatever 
else  we  may  be  divided,  we  must  show  the  world  that  we 
are  united  in  the  supreme  purpose  that  men  everywhere  shall 
know  the  Christ  and  his  power  to  save.  We  know  that 
wherever  He  is  held  up  He  will  draw  men  unto  Himself. 
Let  us  then  consecrate  ourselves  anew  to  this  great  work  of 
holding  Christ  before  the  vision  of  men  until  their  lives  shall 
be  fully  occupied  by  Him. 


YI.  THE  FUTURE 

Manifestly  it  is  impossible  to  present,  at  this  time,  a  final 
and  definite  program  for  a  series  of  years  or  even  the  coming 
year,  in  view  of  rapidly  shifting  conditions  and  needs.  No 
man  can  clearly  discern  just  what  the  results  of  the  Euro¬ 
pean  war  will  be.  That  there  will  come  to  the  laymen  of 
America  a  larger  opportunity  for  world  service  is  obvious. 
The  Movement  must  therefore  plan  with  large  vision  and 
prepare  to  meet  worthily  the  demands  that  will  be  made 
upon  it. 

In  the  following  paragraphs  are  outlined  in  brief  some 
of  the  lines  of  work  that  should  he  undertaken: 

1.  The  success  of  the  national  campaign  which  is  just 
closing  imposes  upon  the  Movement  a  deep  obligation  to  con¬ 
serve  the  results  and  it  stands  ready  to  co-operate  in  every 
way  possible  with  the  denominational  agencies  in  this  vitally 
important  work. 

2.  As  this  is  the  decennial  year  of  the  Movement,  it  is 
planned  to  hold  a  number  of  anniversary  gatherings,  espe¬ 
cially  in  the  convention  cities  of  the  two  national  campaigns, 
thus  again  summoning  the  men  of  the  Church  to  a  new 
earnestness  and  devotion  in  these  days  of  unique  privilege. 


32 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


3.  In  the  development  of  the  plans  thus  far,  sufficient  at 
tention  has  not  been  given  to  the  work  in  rural  communities. 
To  meet  this  need,  plans  are  being  made  to  hold  conventions 
in  county  seats  or  other  centrally  located  points  with  an 
effort  to  secure  delegations  from  every  church  in  the  sur¬ 
rounding  area,  that  the  message  may  thus  reach  the  churches 
of  the  open  country.  In  view  of  the  large  number  of  rural 
churches  and  the  strategic  value  of  work  among  them  this 
effort  has  in  it  the  promise  of  large  results. 

4.  Encouraged  by  the  experiment  of  the  ministers’  con¬ 
vention  held  in  Rochester,  New  York,  the  Movement  plans 
to  hold  at  least  one  of  these  conventions  in  each  of  the  or¬ 
ganized  divisions  of  the  country  during  the  coming  season. 
It  is  recognized  that  the  minister  is  the  most  potential  leader 
in  the  missionary  work  of  the  church  and  it  is  thought  that 
by  holding  conventions  of  this  kind  plans  may  be  unified  and 
inspiration  given  for  a  larger  service. 

5.  A  number  of  cities  not  reached  this  year  have  made 
urgent  request  that  conventions  be  arranged  for  them  in  the 
near  future  and  the  Movement  will  respond  favorably  to  as 
many  as  possible  of  these  invitations. 

6.  Recognizing  the  importance  of  securing  the  adoption  of 
right  standards  of  stewardship  of  life  and  money,  effort  will 
be  made  to  stress  these  subjects  in  special  conferences,  draw¬ 
ing-room  meetings  and  similar  gatherings. 

7.  Some  of  the  denominations  have  indicated  their  desire 
to  hold  denominational  conventions  to  meet  specific  needs. 
The  interdenominational  Movement  wishes  to  co-operate  in 
the  strongest  way  possible  in  the  holding  of  such  conventions. 

8.  In  the  development  of  the  missionary  enterprise  it  is 
evident  that  there  is  need  for  a  great  advance  in  the  direct 
evangelistic  work  as  well  as  of  a  large  increase  in  property 
and  equipment.  The  Movement  will  gladly  render  such  aid 
as  lies  within  its  power  in  promoting  interest  in  these  vital 
needs. 

9.  There  should  be  undertaken  a  more  comprehensive  edu- 


THE  ADVANCE  OF  A  DECADE 


33 


cational  propaganda,  including  new  and  up-to-date  literature, 
especially  in  pamphlet  form,  the  strengthening  of  Men  and 
Missions,  the  magazine  of  the  Movement,  and  the  extension 
of  the  plan  for  men’s  discussion  groups. 

10.  The  colored  laymen  in  this  country  have  been  almost 
entirely  unreached  by  the  Movement  and  earnest  appeals  are 
coming  for  the  extension  of  the  work  among  them.  This 
call  should  be  heeded  and  help  given  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment. 

11.  The  work  in  Canada  having  been  interfered  with  by 
the  war,  special  effort  should  be  made  at  the  proper  time  to 
co-operate  in  every  possible  way  with  the  Canadian  Council 
in  such  plans  as  they  may  deem  wise  for  the  renewal  and 
promotion  of  the  work  in  Canada. 

12.  These  and  other  lines  of  work  lie  before  the  Movement. 
There  is  great  inspiration  in  this  enlarging  field.  It  may 
well  challenge  the  best  effort  of  every  worker.  But  there  is 
still  another,  even  broader  field. 

We  thank  God  that  so  many  ties  of  Christian  fellowship 
have  held  firm  amid  the  sundering  influences  of  these  bitter 
days  but  the  European  conflict  has  wrought  sad  havoc  in  the 
Christian  work  of  the  nations  involved.  Distrust  and  suspi¬ 
cion  have  taken  the  place  of  confidence  and  trust. 

What  will  bind  up  the  wounds  thus  inflicted?  Nothing 
but  the  love  of  Christ  and  co-operation  in  his  service.  What 
other  influence  is  there  that  can  so  quickly  unite  the  strong 
laymen  of  all  these  lands  as  the  ideal  of  enlisting  in  one 
mighty  army,  under  the  banner  of  the  Great  Captain,  going 
forth  to  conquer  the  world  for  Him?  May  it  not  be  that  the 
Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement  has  come  to  the  Kingdom  for 
the  contribution  that  it  can  make  in  such  a  time  as  this? 

The  service  of  directing  men’s  minds  to  the  missionary  min¬ 
istry  of  humanity,  rendered  at  this  opportune  hour,  under¬ 
girded  with  prayer  and  devotion,  would  go  far  toward  allay¬ 
ing  suspicion,  healing  the  open  wounds,  and  binding  the 


34 


THE  ADVANCE  OP  A  DECADE 


hearts  of  men  together  in  one  great  fellowship  of  love  and 

loyalty  to  their  common  Lord. 

Upon  the  laymen  of  America  God  is  placing  a  great  re¬ 
sponsibility,  to  them  He  is  giving  a  transcendent  opportunity. 
It  must  be  seized  promptly  when  the  hour  strikes  or  be 
lost  forever.  Are  we  equal  to  the  task,  are  we  ready  to  obey 
the  call?  If  so,  we  may  see  the  missionary  battle  won  in  this 
generation,  but  failure  on  our  part  in  this  testing  hour  may 
mean  the  indefinite  postponement  of  victory. 


